Wheel balancer



Aug, 4, 1936. J. w. HUME 2,049,703

WHEEL BALANCER Filed Deo. 27, 1953 /nVe/v for 'Ja/7795 W /7'0/776 Patented Aug.' 4, 19.36

UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE i wminoalvcnn v Y Applicativi.: '104,201

Claims. (Cl. 301-5) I 'I'he present invention relates to improvements in wheel balancers particularly designed for the balancing of pneumatic tired wheels upon auto motive vehicles. y

5 As in the structure disclosed -in my application Serial No. 645,504, flied December 3, 193,2, of which this is a continuation-impart, the invention resides in a balance weight which is de-I signed to embrace or straddle the edge of the f3 tire retaining iiange of the rim of the wheel. The A balance weight in the preferred formhas a relatively thin lip portion which is clamped against the inner side of the flange and which may or may` not be engaged by the side wall of the tire depending upon the length and flare of the flange and the length of the lip. A relatively heavy body portion provides the required weight and is contiguous with the outsidejof the ilange adjacent the edge. A set screw or equivalent means is m located in the body portion to clamp the lip upon the ilange and to permit the balance weight to be removably` secured anywhere along the flange of the rim. According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention thesetvscrew is not centrally located as in the above identified application but is located adjacent one end of the body to clamp the balance weight withy a three point engagement upon the curvilinear flange.

This arrangement of the set screw overcomes any tendency for the balance weight to be twisted of! the curvilinear flange of the rim upon the tightening of the set-screw and prevents possible loosening of the balance weight by rocking.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description to follow. The invention is set forth in the ap- A pended claims.-

In the drawing,- Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view through the tire, rim and weight showing the relationship ofeach,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view through a rim I section having a prominent flared flange with the balance weight attached thereto and spaced from the side wall of the tire,

Fig. 3 `is a perspective view of thgebala'nce weight with the set screw removed,

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the balance Aweight showing the relative position of the set screw and lip,

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1-5 of Fig. 2 .showing thethree point engagement with the rim flange, and

Fig. 6 is a, bottom view of Fig. 2 of a portion 'of the rim showing the balance weight attached.

-. with plane surfaces-and do not have the curvilinearity of the rim flange although conforming substantially to the cross-sectional contour of the flange adjacent the edge thereof. Moreover, i0 in order that the balance weights be adaptable to rim flanges of varying degrees of thickness,y the clearance between the body and overhang-l ing lip may be such in some installation as to permit the balance weight to be rocked upon the lilv flange when clamped with only a two pointy contact as disclosed in the above mentioned application although the lip may havethe same curvilinearity as the flange. Furthermore, as it vis of considerable advantage to markets a balance v20' weight attachable to the flange of rim varying. greatly lin diameter. it has been discovered in practice that upon rims of certain diameters that the location of the set screw centrally of the body and lip sometimes resulted in the balance weight 25 being twisted or rolled oif the edgevof the flange upon the tightening of the set screw.

According to the present invention the obiec- 4 tionable features residing in the structure of my earlier application 4have been completely overso come by merely locating the set screw adjacent one end of the weight and longltudinallyspace'd from the lip. In the design oi' rim flanges it is the usual practice to provide a flange of curvilinear section as shown in Figs. 1 and-2. The $5 balance weight Il is preferably constructed with a lip Ii and body llhavlng opposed surfaces conforming substantially to the. curvilinear-ity of the rim flange adjacent the edge. The lip Il and body late'sped to providejllst suilicient 40 clearance to permit .the balance weight to be .A

readilyinsertecl uponthe edge of therimilange through a rollingor partial rotatingV movement:l v

in a radial plane. In other words, the balance .weight il in Fig. 2 can not'be moved from rim 45 tion in Fig. 2. From this it should be apparent thatthe setoriam screw .il threade'din thehody I2 performs two functions. It clamps the lip Il v upon the iiange and also prevents the balance' weight from being rolled or rotated clockwise of! 'the edge of the flange. With such construction,l '66 the balance weight can only be removed from the flange by a very denite movement.. For this reason, during use only rarely will a force be so directed as to place any appreciable stress upon the set screw I4 as all attempted removal other than in a direction circumferential of the rim or with a definite rolling or rotating in a radial plane are resisted by the structure of the balance weight itself.

As more clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the lip I I is preferably located centrally of the body I2 and of considerable less longitudinal extent as to avoid any m'ore deflection of the side wall of the tire than is necessary in the event the balance weight is used upon the type of rim ilange shown in Fig. 1. The set screw I4 is illustrated as located entirely to one side of the lip I I. With this arrangement, when the screw is tightened upon the iiange I3 at a, the balance weightY Illvv is fulcrumed about a point b into rigid contact' with the underside of the ange at c. Thetightening ofthe set screw has a tendency to slightly rock the' balance weight I0 upon the flange to the dotted position shown in Fig. 6; the movement being in substantially a horizontal plane with reference to Flg.2. This rocking action of the balance weight carries the body portion into rigid contact with'the ange I3 as at c giving a three point engagement and completely'overcoming any tendency for the balance weight to rock upon the flange or to` be twisted oi upon tightening of the set screw as is possible under certain conditions with the screw located centrally.

` The method of balancing the unbalanced force 'in the tire and wheel through the selective attachment of one or more of the balance weights along the rim flange should be readily apparent and is described at length inmy application heretofore mentioned as well as in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 704,203, led December '27, 1933, covering the method of balancing.

, One important feature of the present invention resides'in the provision of a balance weight which has a single lip portion which is clamped by a single set or jam screw, lor equivalent means, with a three point engagement upon the rim' iiange. Another important'feature of the invention re. sides in the coactionand means of attachment of the balance weight upon the rim flange which make necessary the rotation or rolling of the same I inl order to be applied or removed. Thisfeature was shown but not specically described or claimed in my earlier co-pending application heretofore mentioned. a u

'I'he foregoing described structure is merely illustrative `oi the -invention and although the same has been described withspecic detail it has been done for the purpose of portraying a clear understanding of the contribution made and not for the purpose of Alimiting the invention to the particular structure shown. Thus such changes and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the appended claims are considered Within the scope of my invention. Having described my inventionwhat I claim as new and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. A balance weight adapted to be attached t0 the tire retaining flange of a pneumatic tired vehicle wheel comprising 'an elongated body portion, a centrally disposed overhanging lip portion integral with said body portion, said portions being suilicientiy spaced to receive the edge of said flange, an adjustable clamping member located in said body portion adjacent one end and spaced longitudinally of said lip for clamping said lip upon said iiange.

2. A balance weight adapted to .be attached to the tire retaining iiange of a pneumatic tired vehicle wheel comprising an elongated bodyportion, an overhanging lip portion associated with said body portion, said portions being suiliciently "spaced to receive the edge of said ilange, and

adjustable clamping means located in said body and engageable with said ilange at a point longitudinally spaced from said lip whereby said weight is fulcrumed about said lip into three point contact with said flange. l

3. A balance weight adapted to beattachedIl to the tire retaining ilange of a pneumatic tired vehicle wheel comprising spaced--rigid portions between which the edge of said ilange is adapted to be received, one end of one of said portions 25 :lol

tween which the edge of said flange is adapted to be received, one of said surfaces presenting a ilxed abutment and an adjustable abutment engageable with one side of said flange, the. other of said surfaces presenting a fixed abutment between said iirst abutments constitutingafulcrum engageable with the other side of r said flangewhereby upon manipulation of said adjustable abutment the balance weight'is clamped upon said flange with three point engagement. c

5. In combination a vehiclev wheel comprising a' rim havingvspaced tire retaining ',iianges of curvilinear=section adjacentv the edges thereof, a balance lweight forbalancing said -wheel removably secured to and straddling'theedge ofone of said iianges, said weight comprising lan velongated bodyportion having a centrally' locatedv voverhanging' lip portion, the opposed surfacesrotsaid portions conforming substantially to the curvilinearity of the 'inner and outer` sides of: said flange adjacentthe edge, the spacing of said-surface making it necessary to partially rotate said weight in a radial plane to insert upon orto remove the same from said flange, an adjustable clamping lmember located in said body and longitudinally spaced from said lip portion, said member upon being manipulated to clamp vsaid lip upon said flange causing vsaidweight to, be partially rotated vin a .plane `substantially normal to said radial plane to urge a portionof said body into engagement with said -ange.

l JAMES w. 

